Sport

Benjamin Mendy wins legal case against Manchester City over unpaid wages

He's not getting all of them back though.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 6th November 2024

Ex-Manchester City player Benjamin Mendy has officially won the legal case against his former employers over unpaid wages.

The French defender was suspended from Man City without pay in September 2021 after being charged with six counts of rape and one instance of sexual assault before ultimately leaving the club last June.

Despite multiple allegations and the high-profile case going to trial in August 2022, Mendy was eventually cleared of all counts in July 2023 and has been demanding he receive his ‘lost’ finances earned at the Etihad ever since.

Mendy took legal action against City last November and now, nearly a full year on, the 30-year-old fullback has won his claim against them and is expected to receive most of the outstanding wages accumulated while he was in custody and on bail, as he was still unable to play due to FA sanctions.

As detailed in an official judgement summary, “The result of this decision is that Mr Mendy will be entitled to receive the majority of his unpaid salary, although not all of it.”

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The former Premier League star initially entered into an employment tribunal to claim around £11 million in compensation for the wages he missed out on during the period between his suspension in September 2021 and City letting him go in the summer of 2023.

Mendy’s wages were worth around £500,000 a month after joining the Manchester club back in 2017 for a then-world-record fee for a defender, £52m. While he was unsuccessful in claiming all unpaid wages back, City are expected to hand over approximately £8.5m.

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Writing on social media, the Frenchman welcomed the decision which found that the club had “unlawfully made deductions from my wages for a total period of 16 months and 23 days.”

Mendy urged the club to do the “honourable thing” and pay the outstanding wages promptly, along with other amounts included in his contract, so as to “finally put this difficult part of my life behind me.”

He went on to conclude the statement by thanking family, agent and legal team for their support and while it’s unclear how soon Man City will be forced to cough up the sum, the footballer will be playing this weekend as usual. You can read his full statement down below:

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The club themselves are yet to respond to the decision but will be required to pay out the number within a certain period by law. Mendy has been back playing football in his home country at Ligue 2 club, FC Lorient, who he signed for just days after being acquitted even despite huge backlash.

It was only a few weeks ago that City were on the winning side of legal action after successfully shrugging off the Premier League’s restrictions on sponsorship rules.

Meanwhile, their well-publicised case against UEFA and the outstanding 115+ charges regarding FFP and PSR has now begun but isn’t expected to be settled for some time.

You can find out more down below.

The hearing over Manchester City’s 115 FFP charges will officially start next week

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Featured Images — Soccer.ru (via Wikimedia Commons)/The Manc Group

Sport

Manchester Storm’s record-breaking return to AO Arena goes down a storm with fans

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Manchester Storm's return to the AO Arena. Credit: Supplied

Manchester Storm have made their grand return to the AO Arena, after more than two decades away from their former home.

And it appears the ice hockey craze (which may have been spurred on by a certain Heated Rivalry) is here to stay, with record-breaking numbers piling into the venue for Sunday’s match against Sheffield Steelers.

The AO Arena has now shared that a record crowd of 11,000 fans attended the long-awaited Manchester Storm homecoming last week.

The action has gone down a storm with fans, with plenty of chatter on social media (and videos of a certain fight) doing the rounds.

Manchester Storm’s homecoming has now smashed the record for an Elite Hockey pre-season fixture, with fans travelling from across Manchester and beyond.

As the team enters this new era, bidding farewell to the ‘Storm Shelter’ in Altrincham that’s been their home for a decade, demand for tickets is continuing to grow.

@elizabeth_ivy

First game at the AO Arena and Jeni BRINGS IT 💪💜⛈️🏒 #manchesterstorm @Manchester Storm #eihl #icehockeyedit

♬ Can’t Stop – Bare Up

This is the first time fans have been able to see the club on the ice at the AO Arena since 2004, and last weekend they thrilled supporters with a 5-5 draw agains the Steelers.

Manchester Storm is now set to bring approximately 35 games to the city centre each year, providing a
regular programme of major sporting events for Manchester and its visitors.

It also brings elite-level hockey back to one of Europe’s largest indoor sporting arenas.

Manchester Storm's return to the AO Arena. Credit: Supplied
Manchester Storm's return to the AO Arena. Credit: Supplied
Manchester Storm's return to the AO Arena. Credit: Supplied

Gemma Vaughan, General Manager at the AO Arena says, “Tonight is a hugely significant moment for Manchester.

“To welcome Manchester Storm back to their former home after more than 20 years, and to do so in front of a record Elite Hockey League crowd, is incredibly special.

“The response from supporters has demonstrated the strength of Manchester’s passion for ice hockey and the demand for world-class sport in the city. We’re proud to be able to provide a home for the Storm as they begin this exciting new chapter.”

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Featured image: Supplied

Sport

Erling Haaland has named his four favourite films… and fans have a lot to say on it

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Erling Haaland has answered the all-important question.

The question heard around the world, the question on everyone’s lips, a question that has absolutely nothing to do with football whatsoever… that’s right, he’s answered Letterboxd’s famous question of ‘what are your four favourite films?’.

If you’re unaware of what Letterboxd is, it describes itself as being an ‘online diary platform and app for film lovers’ and it gives users the chance to display their four favourite films at the top of their profile for all to see (and judge).

An extension of this has then been Letterboxd asking celebrities in press junket interviews and on red carpets what their ‘four faves’ are – and it’s gone on to become something of a phenomenon in the film world.

Everyone from massive A-list movie stars, to indie darlings and up-and-coming names have answered this question before, and now (it appears) to be Erling Haaland’s turn.

He’s not the first footballer to be tasked with question though, as the entire Spurs team was ambushed with it by former player – and famously massive cinephile – Alfie Whiteman last year, but it’s fair to say that after the summer he’s had with Norway at the World Cup, achieving international fame in the process, that Haaland is one of the most high-profile to answer it in a long while.

So, what’s on Erling’s list then?

Well, to self-confessed ‘film bros’ out there, you’re not going to find any deep cuts in this selection unfortunately, and you’re probably not going to get any recommendations for movies you haven’t seen before either, but come on, he is only a footballer after all.

Erling Haaland has named his four favourite films… and fans have a lot to say on it / Credit: Letterboxd

First up for the Manchester City striker is a pretty common pick by straight white men, it’s The Wolf of Wall Street, and he doesn’t give much of a reason for it, other than just suggesting: “I think you understand why”.

He then follows that up with Ridley Scott’s classic Gladiator, calling it ‘amazing’, before naming 2004’s epic Troy, and then rounding it out with a Christmas favourite for many, Home Alone, adding that he ‘watched it a lot as a kid, and then again now’.

As for fan reaction to Haaland’s four favourites, let’s just say it’s been mixed.

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Among the 1,000+ comments on the Instagram video, you’ll find just as many people called him ‘king’ and saying he has ‘goated’ taste, as you will comments like this: “He has the most male gazed top four in history of Letterboxd.”

After all, you can’t please everyone.

Featured Image – Letterboxd (via Facebook)

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